Follow us

Get Organised This Season

One area of basketball coaching I’ve noticed a big improvement from coaches on in recent years is in daily organization. Whenever I want to attend a local practice and reach out to a coach, more times than not I receive that coach’s entire season schedule broken down by day. There are practice or game times on it, bus times (for away games), special events, in which gym them are playing and if they are practicing with the junior varsity teams or not.

It seems like a simple concept but one that is critical for the first day of practice for your players. I saw Dave Thorson speak a couple years ago and he mentioned this as well. I mentioned Thorson in this space in April. He’s won six straight 3A state titles in Minnesota while coaching De La Salle (Minneapolis).

“I didn’t understand this as a young coach but I do now. At the start of the season – be organized. Hand them something at the start of the season with a practice schedule, game schedule and travel expectations,” he said. “Do it now so you aren’t dealing with it later. It saves you headaches and questions.”

While you may not know exact times and gym spaces straight away, talk to your athletic director about squaring away these details as early as possible. And, at least get a schedule grid set up for you to fill in as details become available.

About Basketball Coach Weekly

Basketball Coach Weekly is the world's leading website for youth and high school basketball coaches. Every week we add fantastic new drills and plays from the college and professional game to help you become a better coach.

Related

I was attending a basketball clinic a couple years ago and heard something that was new to me – the presenting, very successful coach, Clif Wegner (Clackamas Community College in Oregon) said his mantra was “We Touch The Lines.” It seems simple enough but I think there’s something really key in this. “We have a... MORE

A couple years ago I read “The System” by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, and while it was a deep dive into the world of college football, we know there is a lot to learn from coaches in other sports. One area that grabbed my interest was a short section about Mike Leach (former Texas... MORE